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formerclimber
Boulder climber
CA
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Medical mafia must be stopped. They're the reason insurance is so expensive - because of their exuberant, insane bills - and this is the reason establishing a normal healthcare system (healthcare available to all for free or low fee), like in civilized countries, is facing such hurdles here -- because it requires enormous kickbacks (paying inflated bills) to this mafia.
I went to in-network facility recently and got an x-ray and simple ultrasound - the bill to insurance is $9000. A year ago I saw insurance claim for the same for $3000 from a different place. In reality it can't be worth more than $500 MAX - considering whooping 5 mins spent by the technicians and may be 15mins by radiologist. Last year I got CT with contrast which can't cost more than $500 either - 16K bill to insurance. Insurance had accepted it as fair price - because they're all in the same corruption clique (providers + insurance industry + various coding/billing parasites = medical mafia, paid-up legislators)
The only way to stop them is massive non-payment, I believe, while fighting them in legislature and bringing civil rights actions. They won't have the capacity to sue everyone for the bills.
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capseeboy
Social climber
portland, oregon
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Googled this:
Single Taxpayers. If you are single and under age 65, you can earn up to $9,499 in a year and not file a tax return. Should you be 65 or older, you could earn up to $10,949 and be exempt from filing a federal tax return. However, you may qualify for an Earned Income Tax Credit, which is refundable in cash to you.
Seems like poverty is now the new Nouveau riche. I mean, why should anyone have to file at any amount below eg $20K these days?
edit#1 even $20k seems light. Is anyone really making it on less than $30K w/o subsidies?
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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It's not just insurance that is broken(though that's part of the problem)...it's the whole system.
Too many expensive drugs that have marginal benefits.
Too many specialist MDs, not enough primary care.
Not enough nurses or mid-levels, and not enough spaces in schools for them.
Push back from expensive MDs on nurses and mid-levels doing more.
Hospitals merging
Hospitals that are "non-profit" but building incredibly expensive new facilities filled with expensive art work and paying staff huge salaries.
And yes, the high-deductibles are a problem. The idea in theory was pretty good, but it may have been taken too far, and it certainly doesn't work if the preventative services included are too limited.
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formerclimber
Boulder climber
CA
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And the cheapest health insurance that I can obtain is......
$3,700 per month, with a $15,000 annual dedictible.
Any one who says that our health care system is fine, I say "F*#k you."
I'll quit my bitching. $2,715.65 per month, $9k deductible."
What?...are these dots in the wrong places, extra 0? It this s#t even real?
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capseeboy
Social climber
portland, oregon
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Hospitals that are "non-profit" but building incredibly expensive new facilities filled with expensive art work and paying staff huge salaries.
Boy that hits a nerve. I don't know about the salaries but the facilities are constantly being frivolously 'improved'. Geeze, some are nicer than 5 star hotels. All show. Once they get the big ticket stuff done/covered it's out the doors to some substandard class place to 'recover'. They almost killed my friend doing recovery before we got him back to the hospital and then to a better facility. Peeps did not have a clue at the substandard facility. Scary.
When I worked at Kaiser in 86 the doctors got bonuses to keep their patient admit days below a threshold. No conflict of interest there?
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formerclimber
Boulder climber
CA
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Once they get the big ticket stuff done/covered it's out the doors to some substandard class place to 'recover'. They almost killed my friend doing recovery before we got him back to the hospital and then to a better facility. Peeps did not have a clue at the substandard facility. Scary.
When I worked at Kaiser in 86 the doctors got bonuses to keep their patient admit days below a threshold. No conflict of interest there?
How about being thrown out aka "discharged" (by some resident who never saw you in person while your actual doctor headed on vacation) in the middle of the night, drugged, with no one to pick you up, with a large unhealed and bleeding surgical wound when you can't really walk? Yep that's what they do.
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WyoRockMan
climber
Grizzlyville, WY
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What?...are these dots in the wrong places, extra 0? It this s#t even real?
Real as real can be. We have exactly 1 health insurance carrier in WY.
Self insuring is the other option, the wife isn't real keen on that since we have kids.
People have no idea how much that "Health Insurance" benefit through an employer is until they have to buy it themselves. There would be more support for universal care if the non-wage cost was put into dollar figures on pay stubs.
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WBraun
climber
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The health care cost in America is criminal.
Because criminals run the health care industry.
In America money is GOD.
St00pid materialistic Americans .....
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capseeboy
Social climber
portland, oregon
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^^^^ I had busted some ribs and got juiced on morphine. Wouldn't release me on my own so a friend picked me up to watch me. Only they didn't tell him a thing. I went merrily skipping and driving around after he dropped me off and then the MS wore off. Yep. Good thing they had someone pick me up.
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fear
Ice climber
hartford, ct
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We've got an entire system, top to bottom that's a heroin (free money) addict. Once "insurance" meant that someone else paid for your routine problems/maintenance the system began to exploit itself. Gov't and private insurer's inject the heroin into the system and the addicts just demand more and more.
Imagine if car insurance meant free tires, oil changes, transmissions, engines.
I'm surprised more doctors haven't bowed out to cash-only services with a clear and concise fee schedule that a normal earner would be able to afford.
There is no solution that revolves around more free (other people's) money.
Medical Insurance should be for catastrophic events and priced accordingly. But until these absurd fee schedules come back to reality, that will never happen.
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formerclimber
Boulder climber
CA
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I saw stats that 30-40% of claims get denied on the first submittal by big insurance companies: it's simply a numbers game in hopes that a person will give up, being too sick or unaware of the appeals process - a lot of people never appeal. It's a barbaric situation that something like MRI, CAT scan or ultrasound are hard to get approved or covered here (it's the 21st century)...much easier in other countries. I see insurance resorting to absolutely ridiculous tactics now (in how they deny claims) in effort to discourage you from seeking any care.
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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It's a barbaric situation that something like MRI, CAT scan or ultrasound are hard to get approved or covered here (it's the 21st century)...much easier in other countries. I see insurance resorting to absolutely ridiculous tactics now (in how they deny claims) in effort to discourage you from seeking any care.
Like some other posters on this thread, I also only have catastrophic insurance. So I end up paying the full costs of things like MRIs. That in itself is ok, I pay less per month because of that.
Try getting someone to tell you the cost of a MRI over the phone. I don't believe it is possible in this universe.
Some republicans claim that if people were responsible for paying for their own care they would shop around and it would be cheaper. It is hard to shop around when no one will tell you how much their procedure will cost.
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formerclimber
Boulder climber
CA
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There's https://www.healthcarebluebook.com/
which shows a range of "fair prices" - well in California the actual price is going to be at least 10 times more than their highest end of fair price estimate (speaking of imaging here), usually, and I've seen insurance being charged 20X more than once and even 30X of their estimated fair price.
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Norton
climber
The Wastelands
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MGuzzy,
Sounds like maybe you are in the "pay the annual deductible before we pay anything" part of your health plan.
I just three weeks ago got an MRI on my lower spine.
I am on Medicare but I did have to pay $300 because even Medicare has a certain annual deductible amount to meet.
=
Healthcare in America is multi tiered
if you have no insurance you pay the "Arab Prince" price
if you do have insurance then your insurance company has negotiated a set price for their plan members to be charged for every single thing, well lower than the Arab Prince price. You will usually have to pay a co-pay and then a specific amount depending if you have met your annual plan deductible or not.
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formerclimber
Boulder climber
CA
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if you have no insurance you pay the "Arab Prince" price
if you do have insurance then your insurance company has negotiated a set price for their plan members to be charged for every single thing, well lower than the Arab Prince price. You will usually have to pay a co-pay and then a specific amount depending if you have met your annual plan deductible or not.
May be it was like this before but it's not what I see now. I see insurance agreeing to astronomical bills completely way out there, which in no way can be considered reasonable. Cash prices are actually often lower - yes, cheaper rates for no insurance.
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Norton
climber
The Wastelands
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I am in the worst possible boat.. I am not of Medicare/medical age yet, I'm self employed in CA. ------------------------
boy are you ever in the worst boat, being self employed you are not part of the negotiating power of a large employer group
I am now 68 and on Medicare but I was self employed since age 22 and so had to pay sky high month payments like you do sir, sucks, hurry up and get on Medicare!
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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For the richest country in the world to be behind every other first world nation in providing health care for it's citizens is a national disgrace. The issue shouldn't be one for debate, it should be clear that universal health care should be provided for everyone free of charge....Medicare for all!
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formerclimber
Boulder climber
CA
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I went to Walmart and had my eye exam done for $55 bux I always use Walmart for vision exam and frames (not for lenses), even when had employer-sponsored vision plan. Better experience than in any other shops anyway. One time I did it outside Walmart in much more expensive shop - they got me horrible prescription I couldn't be comfortable wearing and went to Walmart to get better one...it's not always you get what you paid for.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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formerclimber is on a roll today. Our resident paid Commie spammer has found a thread where everyone is bitching about healthcare & no-one questions the fuel she adds to the fire.
She'll be rolling in the Roubles now.
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